Sharing remote terminals

Abstract

A method for sharing a remote terminal. The method provides control intelligence that is separate from service-delivery hardware of a network that includes a remote terminal, wherein the control intelligence controls the operations of the remote terminal. The method time-shares resources of the remote terminal among local exchange carriers, wherein the control intelligence mediates access to the remote terminal, and whereby multiple local exchange carriers provide telecommunication services on the remote terminal.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for sharing a remote terminal, comprising: 
 providing control intelligence that is separate from service-delivery hardware of a network that includes a remote terminal, wherein the control intelligence controls the operations of the remote terminal; and    time-sharing resources of the remote terminal among competitive local exchange carriers (CLEC), wherein the control intelligence mediates access to the remote terminal, whereby multiple CLECs provide telecommunication services on the remote terminal.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein providing control intelligence from the service-delivery hardware includes providing a computer program including control intelligence to control the routing and switching operations of remote terminals, the computer program being resident on a computer that is remote from the remote terminal.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising routing voice data from a telephone network to a media gateway for further routing to a packet network when the control intelligence detects a subscriber request to route voice traffic to a packet network.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein routing voice data from a telephone network to a packet network includes routing voice data from a telephone network to a network supporting an asynchronous transfer mode.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein routing voice data from a telephone network to a packet network includes routing voice data from a telephone network to a network supporting an internet protocol.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising: 
 providing one or more computers each having one or more programs that provide telecommunication features, wherein the computers are configured to communicate with the control intelligence; and    providing databases that are separate from service-delivery hardware of the network to guide the delivery of telecommunication features, the databases relating a subscriber and the subscriber's respective feature provider, as well as feature providers and telecommunication features offered by each feature provider, wherein the control intelligence causes the delivery of telecommunication features to the subscribers according to the databases;    whereby the system enables multiple feature providers to provide customized telecommunication features to subscribers through the remote terminal.    
     
     
         7 . A system for sharing a remote terminal, comprising: 
 control intelligence to control a remote terminal in a telecommunication network having service-delivery hardware, wherein the control intelligence mediates access to the remote terminal and wherein the control intelligence is separate from the service-delivery hardware; and    databases that are separate from service-delivery hardware of the network to guide the delivery of telecommunication features, the databases relating a subscriber and the subscriber's respective local exchange carrier, as well as local exchange carriers and telecommunication features offered by each local exchange carrier, wherein the control intelligence causes the delivery of telecommunication features to the subscribers according to the databases;    whereby the system enables multiple local exchange carriers to provide service and customized telecommunication features to subscribers through the remote terminal.    
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7  further comprising an access switch configured to communicate with the remote terminal, wherein the control intelligence is a computer program resident on a computer in the access switch.  
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the control intelligence controls switching operations of the remote terminal.  
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the control intelligence controls routing operations of voice traffic to and from the remote terminal.  
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , further comprising control intelligence for routing voice traffic from a telephone network to a packet network, wherein the control intelligence causes the remote terminal to route voice traffic to a media gateway connected to the packet network.  
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the packet network supports an asynchronous transfer mode.  
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the packet network supports an internet protocol.  
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , further comprising control intelligence for providing digital subscriber line service to a subscriber terminal, wherein the control intelligence causes the access switch to proxy signal for a subscriber terminal to an asynchronous-transfer-mode switch.  
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , further comprising one or more computers that are remote from the access switch and remote terminals, wherein each computer includes one or more computer programs that provide the telecommunication features, whereby a feature provider customizes the computer programs to provide telecommunication features that the feature provide desires to offer to subscribers.